georgannhardin
This movie meant a great deal to me as I was raised in an abusive family and depend constantly on my sister for companionship and solace. I've always known that happiness is relative. But I am learning that life's difficulties make us better people. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." Mark and Clair and their parents have communicated their humanity more to me than any other movie or situation. Thank you for your courage and love and I hope everyone gets to see this movie and feel the way I do because of it.
Susan
This film introduces us to twin brothers--and, through photos; extremely honest interviews with parents, grandparents and friends; and filmed life interactions--follows the lives of these boys from the time they were toddlers, through the horror of their JHS years when one of them came out as gay and the other tried to avoid that label (and both were persecuted, they say, anyway); through high school and through--then past their college years. Through skillful camera work and interview technique (and the closeness that was built with the family), we are able to find out how-as what happens when a pebble is dropped into a pond-the family changes and waves and molds around the twins as their sexualities change--one to feel at ease with the fact that he is gay and the other to feel at ease with the fact that he wants to physically change to become a woman.This was my introduction to many of the topics presented here and it was a gift at the end of the documentary to realize that--what survived, through all the pain and reinvention--was family and love. I want to add that I really enjoyed listening to the soundtrack.
preppy-3
I caught this at the Provincetown International Film Festival. It's about a pair of identical twins (Mark and Alex) who grow up to realize they're gay. One of them remains a man but the other wants to get a sex change--maybe. This film deals with how they grew up and how one wants to get a sex change.The subject matter is certainly different and this movie is pretty well-done...but I do have a problem with it. All the people interviewed (including the brothers) have blank looks on their faces and speak in a monotone about everything. It lessens the impact of some truly horrifying events the men went through and always keeps the viewer at arms length. Still this is a fascinating documentary and the discussions about gender changing are very interesting. Worth catching.
ceetedee
i saw this movie at the new Zealand Outtakes film festival, and i loved it. first of all the summary of the movie, ( a set of twins, one grows up to be a gay man the other a transsexual woman) is one that catches the eye and promises to be interesting. it doesn't fail on that quality. the story is actually about how these issues can have a traumatic effect on the family, anyone who has experienced a family member coming out as gay or trans will know that it causes shock waves in the family and in this movie three people (the mother lives and sleeps with another woman but refuses to refer to herself as lesbian) in the same family have these problems. the people interviewed tell a story of a childhood lost in a harsh fashion. in puberty the twins fall into a lifestyle of self loathing, drugs and abusive partners which ends in a suicide pact and their eventual separation after rehab. the story picks up with them getting to know each other again, Alex is transitioning to Clair and Oliver has come out as gay, both of them are trying to find acceptance in the family and love that can equal the relationship they have. is a very touching story about how an unconventional families strives to love and connect with one another. i recommend it to everyone (especially but not only members of the GLBT community) as a look at what it means to be a family
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